Category Archives: Byway Administration

The Plan…

24 Thursday Aug 2023

Posted by in Byway Administration, Event, Marketing and Promotion, Partners, Telling the Byway Stories

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The next meeting of the Friends of the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway will be Sept 12 at Schenectady Distilling Company, 3304 Amsterdam Road, Glenville.  This will be a tasting open to the public.  We supply the Erie Canal related presentation, drum up an attendance of forty people, and they will provide a tasting of their products.

This will be a pleasant, relaxed departure from our usual meetings which tend to be totally focused on the Byway; the Erie Canal; and the waterway west.  I plan on bringing a power point type presentation (lots of images) of the “State of the Byway”.  

This is a kick-off of our public availability sessions on the draft Corridor Management Plan (CMP).  Sure it is a bit different than any other Byway has done it, but why not?  The “State of the Byway” summarizes sections 1, 2, and 3 of the CMP.  I will add a slide or two to show where the nearest Erie Canal features are to the Distillery (which features “36 Locks beverages”).  Here’s an approximate schedule of what we have planned:

  • 4 to 5 PM – Tour of the distillery and tasting
  • 5 to 8 PM – hors d’oeuvres 
  • 6 to 7 PM – Byway Presentation, questions, discussion, answers

From a historic perspective alcohol played an important part in building the Erie Canal. Treated municipal water, that we take for granted, was not available.  In the spirit of building public acceptance of our Byway plan, let’s relax and enjoy each other’s company as exhausted canal workers must have ended the day of moving mud and stumps to make way for what is now history?

Note that attendees are expected to make a $5 donation to the Byway on entry. Non-alcoholic beverages will be available for us tea-toddlers who are encouraged to provide car pool or rides for others!

Public Has Spoken!

29 Tuesday Jun 2021

Posted by in Byway Administration, Historic Assets, Nature along the Byway, recreational assets, tourism experience

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True: the Mohawk Towpath Byway is a unique driving route from Waterford, Cohoes and Schenectady following the historic route of the Erie Canal and waterway west.

As I compile the notes, comments and suggestions from our resent public participation workshops I discover that almost all of you share my passion and mantra: the most important, most memorable experiences on the Byway occur once we leave our vehicle to discover the history, the recreational recourses, the natural world around us!

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. Comments received during the process have been summarized and circulated to all of you who participated. Even though the official comment period ended July 16, we always value your perspective. We will be editing the next draft of the Byway’s Corridor Management Plan over the next several months.

Protect and preserve our historic, natural, and recreational resources!

One of the suggestions made during the comment period was that we find a way to augment the flow in the 1842 enlarged Erie Canal pictured above. Duckweed and other aquatic vegetation and insects would be less prevalent.

Spring is Coming…

07 Saturday Mar 2020

Posted by in Byway Administration, Recreation, stewardship, Telling the Byway Stories, Uncategorized, Volunteering

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As the snow and ice retreats we are starting to plan our activities and projects for the coming year. We have a limited budget but several low cost projects include…

The foot bridge on the 1825 towpath trail just west of the Water Authority Access Road in the Vischer Ferry Preserve. The deck needs work so that it is safe for pedestrian, mountain bike, and light trail maintenance equipment.

Friends of the Byway clean up ready for the summer season.

Interpretive Signs within the Vischer Ferry Preserve need to be cleaned. These are lacquered metal panels that tend to attract a grimy dark film over the years that needs to be washed and waxed with a quality automotive wax. We have done this in past years as a “flash mob” activity.

Self Guided Tour needs to be updated; narratives shortened so not to loose audience and add historic photos to bring the history of the site to life. We also need to add archived Erie Blvd narratives.

Wayfinding Signs need to be replaced. After 10 years some of the signs have faded, especially the south facing signs. This will start by inventorying the signs that need to be replaced and then working with the Town Highway Departments to install the replacements.

Duathlon planning is high on our priority list. This event highlights the recreational features of the Byway and provides a substantial amount of the organization’s revenue. We need sponsors and volunteers to pitch in to make this a success!

Writing and photography helps provide content for this blog as well as publicity and keeping our fellow volunteers energized and informed. Volunteering to “man” our booth at various functions provides an opportunity to “meet our public.”

Building a frame and installing an interpretive sign at the Mohawk Landing Park in Rexford. This will round out the interpretive signs envisioned 20 years ago when the Corridor Management Plan was prepared. The panels described our agricultural heritage and growing leisure time during the Industrial Revolution.

Baking healthy snacks for our work details, meetings, and events is always appreciated and helps keep the enthusiasm and energy flowing.

Roadside Cleanups twice a year where you live or work helps keep the Byway attractive for our visitors. Adopt a segment of roadway and take credit with a sign that recognizes your stewardship.

If you would like to help out with any one of these projects please let us know. Obviously some may have better appeal than others and you are certainly allowed to “cherry pick” the one or two that most appeal to you!

Comment: An informal poll of active members the Friends listed the above projects in order of priority.

  • Repair footbridge (done early April)
  • Cleaning interpretive signs (done April 14)
  • Planning Duathlon (unfortunately canceled June 9)
  • Building a Frame for interpretive sign (design complete Apr 28, Installation completed August 10)
  • Replacing Faded Wayfinding signs (inventory under way)
  • Up Dating the Self-Guided Tour (two sites added another one edited)
  • Writing and Photography (continuing)
  • Roadside Cleanups (unfortunately didn’t get done this year) and
  • Refreshments for meetings and work crews (Moved to virtual meetings).

Three write-in activities included develop public access along the Byway in new locations, partnering with other groups to do joint projects and events, and representing the Byway in the National Scenic Byway Foundation.

– added by Eric Hamilton, Apr 13, 2020.

– Updated August 29, 2020.

2018 Annual Report

29 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by in Byway Administration, Mohawk Towpath, Partners, stewardship, Telling the Byway Stories, Volunteering

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While wrapping up reports and other administrative requirements of the Byway and the two organizations that are the backbone of our community

  • The Friends of the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway, and
  • The Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway Coalition

…we have developed a 2018 Annual Report that you can view here. It was prepared for municipal officials within the Byway corridor, as a thank you to our volunteers for a successful year, and as a tool to help tell the story of the Byway to the general public. If you do not receive your copy of the 2018 Annual Report by mid February send a request for a copy.

This is a collage of a number of successes we had on the Mohawk Towpath Byway this year.

Were you a part of it? If you were thank you for the help. If you were not please act now to make your place on the Mohawk Towpath Byway in 2019! Join the friends of the Byway while the year is young. Click here!

Intrinsic Qualities

31 Saturday Mar 2018

Posted by in Byway Administration, Historic Assets, Recreation, stewardship

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QualitiesWhat’s a scenic byway? …a road less traveled? “…a road or track not following a main route; a minor road or path.” Spring time is as good a time as any to reflect on what makes a byway.

All national scenic byways have at least one of the six intrinsic qualities: archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic. I think you will agree that the Mohawk Towpath Byway is rich with each one of these qualities and I would like to share share the thoughts, ideas, and suggestions that went into our Corridor Management Plan.  It was put together by our “Advocacy Committee” under the guidance of the Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor nearly two decades ago.

Let us look at each of these qualities, each with it’s own entry, and see if they are still as relevant today as they were twenty years ago. Your comments, ideas, and perspective would be greatly appreciated!

Cultural Intrinsic Qualities – see https://wp.me/p8Z8Z1-Sd

Natural Intrinsic Qualities – see https://wp.me/p8Z8Z1-RB

Recreational Intrinsic Qualities – see  https://wp.me/p8Z8Z1-RN

Scenic Intrinsic Qualities – see https://wp.me/p8Z8Z1-ST

Archaeology as an Intrinsic Quality – see https://wp.me/p8Z8Z1-Tl

Historic Intrinsic Quality – see https://wp.me/p8Z8Z1-Tr   This is our intrinsic quality, the one we focus all our efforts on.   In fact the Mohawk Towpath Byway has been described as, “the short Byway with the longest history.”   Now, how does your story fold into the Byway story?

Meetings

14 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by in Byway Administration, Mohawk Towpath

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You are invited to the meeting of the Friends of the Mohawk Towpath Byway at 7 PM on Tuesday, August 16 at the historic Grooms Tavern.  It’s located at the intersection of Sugar Hill and Grooms Road.  The parking lot is located behind the Tavern with a driveway a bit further west on Grooms Road.

Generally, the organization meets on the second Tuesday of every other month, but our August meeting had to be postponed because of other conflicts.

Items on the agenda include

  • Planning update on the 14th Annual Mohawk Towpath Byway Duathlon
  • Updates for the Friends Action Plan
  • Discussion and critique of the new Byway website
  • Publishing a kids (or seniors) coloring book
  • A proposal for a gate tenders shed at lock 19 by Shenendehowa Rotary
  • Planning for our Annual Meeting

We will have reports on Byway projects like

  • Towpath Connector Trail
  • The Self guided birding trail

Our next meeting will not be until October 11 so come to this meeting to express your views on how the Byway is run.